Edward
by Carriedreamer
Summary: AU request for AJ1ri - Takes place while the events of DCITSP are goign on. A look at Captain Linebeck's experiences after Ganon took over the Great Sea and his first experience with the Ghost Ship. High T for coarse language


Yes yes, I know, these are a wee bit late, but this is part one of my kiriban, dedicated to the reviewer AJ1ri, whose request was to see how Captain Linebeck would be faring in the Destiny comes in the strangest of packages alternate universe, so here you are and thanks so much for reviewing!

Rated T- Coarse language

* * *

It had been six years since his life had gone to hell.

Six long… god awful years.

He's knew something was up when that fortuneteller over on Ember Island started going all wacko, prophesizing doom or some kind of bullshit, and everyone here on Mercay had laughed and laughed.

The lady had finally gone bonkers, they'd all said. Some dark and terrible shadow would engulf everything!?

Pfft. The idea had been laughable. Her daily trances and later collapses had become as good as a play, with people flocking to the island just to watch the crazy bitch.

His younger brother had been one of them, and had dragged him along.

Frankly, Edward Linebeck had found nothing amusing about a woman any woman being exploited in such a way…

And then….

The witch had been proved right…

They'd only been rumors at first. Random kidnappings of young woman, parents had started locking their daughters in at night, his neighbor Joanne one of them, though she and her sister had used to sneak out to meet up with Edward and Jonathon Linebeck over at that old abandoned temple…

The rumors had become more incredible… more unbelievable… a warlord or some other type of usurper, there had been terrified whispers he was in fact a sorcerer… had taken over the southern Great Sea, completely and utterly, decimating it…

Worse.

The Northern Seas… found themselves cut off by a slew of terrible unsurpassable storms…

Which had once been their biggest trading partners… and source of resources…

Was gone.

Simple as that… gone. Contact completely cut off.

It was like some terrible type of cage had trapped the inhabitants within, families were frantic, relatives who'd gone on vacation gone or missing, one family he remembered vaguely had sent their teenage daughter to an isle way south in the seas, to live with her aging grandfather…

They hadn't heard from her in six years.

… And who knew when they'd be next…

And as panic and despair tended to do… arguments…. Pitiful and petty… had begun to take on new meaning with the major inhabited isles of the northern Great Sea.

Molida Isle… population… five hundred twenty five…

Mercay isle… population… six hundred and five.

Suddenly arguments over food… and other resources had grown to the breaking point… and Molida had done the unthinkable.

They'd blocked off their entire portion of the sea, cutting off families and worse merchants away from the only decent farmland for miles.

He'd been twenty four when the notice came of his draft, his brother nineteen. Well his brother hadn't even been drafted, more like he very enthusiastically had volunteered, vowing to " Kick some Molida ass" or some other nonsense of the youth. The war between the two islands was to be quick and furious, but Jolene good old pessimistic Jolene had grudgingly said they were being fools for thinking so…

And good old Jolene… had been right.

A week… turned into a month… a month… into six… six months… into two years.

His brother had been a student of war, quickly being promoted up the ranks until he became captain of his own ship, which he had appropriately and rather naively proclaimed the " S.S Linebeck.

Edward… the older brother… had hated the idea of killing anything, let alone holding a sword or gun, he'd opted for the medical field instead and mechanical portion of the service, he'd become a full blown army medic and engineer, the S.S. Linebeck, being a medical ship, only going into the frontline to pick up wounded men… John had been devastated, Edward disgusted.

The two Linebeck brothers had been as night and day, but the familial resemblance had been uncanny, but only physically, mentally, Edward was arguably the smarter one, John the robust one. They'd both in their own fields been promoted quickly, and their crew was generally loyal to them.

… The war had ended in a rather chilling draw, Molida not restoring it's trade routes, but also making much needed deliveries in exchange for a cease fire.

Edward believed it was probably the best they could hope for.

The Great Sea militia stayed in service however, the growing threat of whatever it was that was keeping the Southern Seas cut off was becoming more of a public fear than ever, when that rare word did end up making it across the border, it only told of terror, of fear, one fantastic story had a woman pirate leading a group of rebels against the conqueror, only to be forced into a desperate retreat…

The bird folk, the Rito… long given up.

But it soon became apparent that a closer threat was looming, though Linebeck and his foolish younger brother had been completely unaware of it…

Stories of a fantastic treasure, belonging to the warlord? Had begun to spring everywhere, in every tavern, every street corner.

Men all around went to search for it. To find it, to claim it.

Their crew….. one of them.

It was amazing what the prospect of money could do to even the most decent of men, a gun aimed at his brother's head, while a sword pressed against his own throat, the brothers, wisely agreed to go search for the treasure to the delight of their crew.

The Ghost Ship… a vessel unmanned…

Edward Linebeck had to disagree… it was manned… by the devil.

Their ship was easily the fastest one around… of course they were the first to reach it…

And John…. Stupid… foolish John, had been the first to jump on…

Edward stayed behind… coward he was… when he'd heard the first screams… grown men screaming… his brother's voice mixed with the masses…

His blood had chilled, his face gone pale, but the voices began to fade, one by one… until nothing.

Only a chilling eerie cold silence.

Edward Linebeck would never forgive himself… but he had run. He'd driven his ship as far away from the cursed vessel as humanly possible, the vast treasure still on his mind… but a human's natural fight or flight instinct had kicked in… and flight had won.

Flight had won.

But Edward Linebeck was lost forever…. The guilt driving him mad, his own mother telling him never to set foot in their home again.

Jolene the only one who had understood, she'd been infatuated with him he knew since an incident involving a gyorg and their play boats…. But he couldn't even look the young woman in the face.

A coward… a stupid greedy coward…

That's all he was…

And now these new rumors that had begun to pop up in the tavern… of some kid in tights and a green what was it, tunic? Pfft. Sounded more like a dress to him, but hey whatever someone preferred, that's their choice.

They were saying he was challenging this sorcerer, warlord, usurper… whatever his name was in the Southern Seas, he'd become known as some kind of hero…

Hero?

Bah.

No such thing…

He doubted some kid would make any difference in a sick and twisted world.

A long time ago, Edward Linebeck, had foolishly thought he could make a difference, saving people's lives in some over glorified war, becoming a great medic, soon to be doctor, he'd foolishly thought one individual counted for something in the great scheme of things…

The old man took a long draught from his third pint of rum, his brown hair stringy and matted, his eyes dull and drooped, drunkard's eyes.

He dropped the rupees on the counter, ordering another pint.

He mused silently to himself, as he'd been doing for so long in his drunken stupor…

It was a mighty good thing, Captain Linebeck… had finally begun to know better…

* * *

Well I hope it was to everyone, especially the requester's satisfaction, I'd appreciate any feedback, if you can. If anyone's wondering however, this will be featured much more in the coming sequel to Destin comes in the strangest of packages, still not having a formal name just yet, but it is being worked on, so keep an eye out for that pretty soon. Sayonara!


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